To the Point
Can Big Business Improve the Plight of America's Farm Workers?
Migrant workers labor under conditions that some describe as a kind of indentured servitude and, until not that long ago, the very worst of the worst offenders were the tomato farms of Immokolee, Florida.
By Barbara Bogaev • • 1 min readMigrant workers labor under conditions that some describe as a kind of indentured servitude and, until not that long ago, the very worst of the worst offenders were the tomato farms of Immokolee, Florida. But, in 1993, tomato pickers there got together and began partnering with retailers and restaurant chains, including McDonald's and Taco Bell, to pressure growers in Florida into providing better wages and humane conditions. Now one of the nation's largest and least labor friendly corporations is joining up. Will Walmart bring this innovative program to the rest of the country? Is threatening the bottom dollar the most effective way to improve the lives of the nation's most vulnerable workers?
